Around 625,680 tons of peaches are produced in the US every year. Whether you like to enjoy some juicy peaches during August (National Peach Month!) or appreciate them as an excellent source of vitamins A and C year-round, they’re a classic fruit with plenty of health benefits. But, some aspects of the peach-making process can harm the environment and even negatively affect the workers who pick them. So, we had to ask: Is eating peaches ethical and sustainable?

In this article, we will assess both the ethical and sustainability practices of the peach industry. Through these two lenses, you will be able to gain in-depth knowledge on the overall impacts of the peaches that you eat!

Here’s How We Assessed the Ethics & Sustainability of Peaches

The Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture Systems (SAFA) is one of the ways we measure the externalities of our actions, like the consumption of peaches. It is a holistic assessment based on the potential impact of food and agriculture operations on the environment and people. Those impacts are changes in our environment that can have adverse effects on the air, land, water, fish, and wildlife or the inhabitants of the ecosystem.

“Ethical: The discipline concerned with what is morally good and bad and morally right and wrong”

Encyclopedia Britannica

Ethics and sustainability are closely interconnected concepts that share a common objective: the well-being and preservation of our planet, including all its life and future generations.

“Sustainable: The ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level | Avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance”

Oxford Dictionary

Basically, all goods and services you buy—including peaches—leave an impact on people, animals, and our environment. And when it comes to food in general—and peaches in specific—the following are key factors for their ethics and sustainability:

• Social and economic conditions: The ethics of food crucially depends on the social and economic conditions of the farmers who grow them. Especially on fair labor practices, including fair wages and safe working conditions.
• Seasonality: Eating seasonally is a lever of sustainability. The two key reasons are that seasonal food is more likely grown in their “natural growing season” without using greenhouses, and also more likely to be grown locally.
• Land requirements: Large parts of the world that were once covered by forests and wildlands are now used for agriculture. 10 million hectares of forest are destroyed annually and 50% of the world’s habitable land is now used for agriculture. This loss of natural habitat has been the main driver for reducing the world’s biodiversity. 
• Water footprint: 70% of global freshwater is now used for agricultural purposes. By assessing the water footprint of a particular food, we can determine how our limited freshwater resources are being consumed and polluted.
• Pesticide and fertilizer usage: Pesticides and fertilizers provide a range of agricultural benefits. However, numerous studies link pesticides and fertilizers to serious effects on human health, along with disruptions to vital ecosystems and the spread of aquatic dead zones.
• Carbon footprint: The carbon footprint is one of the ways we measure the effects of our human-induced global climate change. Today, food production accounts for over a quarter (26%) of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• Waste generation: Food and its packaging account for almost 45% of the materials landfilled in the US alone. And packaging sent to landfills, especially when made from plastics, does not degrade quickly or, in some cases, at all.

To understand the overall environmental impact of peaches, we must assess each of their key factors. This Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture Systems (SAFA) is a tool developed for assessing the impact of food and agriculture operations on the environment and people. And this tool helps us to evaluate whether eating peaches is ethical & sustainable.

Here’s How Ethical & Sustainable Eating Peaches Is

The overall ethics & sustainability of peaches is fairly good; the industry offers decent wages to workers and their farming practices require low water usage. They only engage in a few unethical practices, such as some chemical dangers and labor disputes, and a few unsustainable practices, such as monoculture farming and high pesticide usage. 

There are many things that the peach industry does right. For example, they have a small carbon footprint, have economical land growth, and aren’t known to be associated with the worst kinds of labor practices like child labor or mass exploitation. However, there are still some unethical or unsustainable things you should look out for from peaches. 

So, let’s have a look at the ethics & sustainability impact of each key factor of peaches!

These are the overall summaries, but there is a lot more to the story. In the next few sections, we will dive deeper into each stage to illustrate to you all the important aspects of peaches’ ethics & sustainability.

How Ethical & Sustainable Are the Social and Economic Conditions for Peaches

Peaches’ social and economic conditions are fairly good for the agricultural industry. They don’t have major reports of child labor, forced labor, or many serious hazards, besides potential pesticide exposure. 

Everything we consume was made or harvested by somebody. In past centuries, this was often someone who lived in your community and who you might have even known personally. But through the rise of globalized distribution systems, we have become increasingly alienated from the people who make our food. This leaves a lot of room for exploitation and abuse, both of which are rampant in the food industry. Here, we will look at how the peach industry fares in relation to these ethical questions. 

How ethical & sustainable are the social and economic conditions of growing peaches?

• Are farmers paid fair wages to grow peaches: Peach farmers in the US typically make decent wages. Certain peach farms in the country will actually offer their peach pickers above federal minimum wage for their services. 
• How safe are the working conditions to grow peaches: There are several dangers associated with orchard picking, including falling off ladders and sprains. The other major danger is pesticide residue. Agricultural workers in the US are not legally required to wear chemical protection equipment, leaving many of them vulnerable to harmful pesticides. Peaches use a significant amount of pesticides, many of which are not approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and so they pose a serious danger to those who pick them. 
• Are there reports of child or forced labor to grow peaches: There don’t appear to be significant reports of child or forced labor in the peach industry. However, since child labor is illegal in most countries, instances may be happening under the radar of the law. There have been reports of child labor in the agricultural industry in general, with around 60% of the 98 million child laborers worldwide working in agriculture.
• What is the wider economic impact on the communities that grow peaches: Many workers in the US peach industry are involved in the “guest worker” program, which means that they are only in the country on the condition that they continue working for the peach farm. This is mainly because few Americans seem to apply for agricultural positions. Although conditions can be good in these situations, the guest worker program has been criticized for giving farms too much power, leaving room for exploitation. 

In short, peaches don’t seem to have any significant accounts of poor wages, child labor, or serious exploitation in their industry, and so are a fairly ethical fruit. 

How Ethical & Sustainable Are the Seasonality for Peaches

Peaches’ seasonality lasts from June to August. When they are out of season, they need to be shipped from South America, which compromises their sustainability. 

Every fruit has a natural season in which they grow, usually lasting a couple of months, which can range depending on the region. However, international demand for every kind of fruit is year-round. This demand is often met by importing fruits from tropical places which can grow year-round, or by growing them in greenhouses. Both of these methods use more resources and are thus less sustainable than conventional farming. Here, we will look at how the peach industry accommodates year-round demand.

How ethical & sustainable is it to grow peaches in-season vs out-of-season?

• When is the natural season for growing and harvesting peaches: Peach season typically lasts from the end of June to the end of August. This means that the freshest peaches you will buy will be found in stores during these months. 
• How are peaches naturally grown in-season: You can buy US peaches typically from around May to October. Most US peaches are grown in South Carolina, so if you live on the east coast, you can buy fairly local peaches during the summer months. 
• How are peaches grown out-of-season: Most peaches you will buy in the winter months will be from South America, of which Argentina is the biggest producer. These peaches require much higher travel times, which use a lot of fuel, and thus are less sustainable than locally-grown peaches. 

In short, peaches are considerably different in their sustainability based on when they are bought, with in-season peaches easy to find domestically and out-of-season peaches needing to be brought in from South America. 

How Ethical & Sustainable Are the Land Requirements for Peaches

Peaches’ land requirements are fairly low. However, they are grown in monocultures, which is a very unsustainable growth method. 

The growth stage has a major impact on fruits’ sustainability. The amount of land used, especially in relation to its expansion, the method with which they are grown, and their effect on surrounding land and wildlife are all important factors. In this section, we will look at the ways in which peaches’ land usage affects their sustainability.

How ethical & sustainable are the land requirements for growing peaches?

• What is the land usage of peaches: Peaches yield around 25–40 tons per hectare. This is an average to above-average yield for fruit. 
• Where and how are peaches grown: Most of the world’s peaches are grown in China. Peaches grow on trees in orchards. Peach trees are very effective at carbon sequestration, which is the process of capturing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in the ground. This means that their carbon footprint is lower than it would be if this process did not occur. 
• Are peaches grown in monocultures or polycultures: Peaches are typically grown in monocultures. Monocultures are not only less productive agriculturally, leading to lower yields per hectare, but also very unsustainable. 
• How does the growing of peaches affect soil fertility and erosion: Peach farms have been found to contribute significantly to soil erosion. Soil erosion can severely damage the lands that they are farmed on, which is not a sustainable practice. 
• How does the peaches industry affect the loss of habitable land: China produces around 16 million tons of peaches, which translates to about 400,000 hectares of land. This is a significant amount of land in China and so peach production can have a negative effect on land usage. 
• How does the peaches industry affect wildlife and biodiversity: Monocultures are very damaging to biodiversity. They limit the growth of many important soil microbes and deplete pollinators of the diverse nutrients they need to thrive. This disrupts the whole ecosystem and thus pears cause a lot of environmental harm. Since peach farms use monocultures, they can have a very damaging impact on wildlife and biodiversity. 

In short, peaches’ use of monoculture farming, as well as their contribution to land degradation mean that they are not the most sustainable fruit when it comes to land usage. 

How Ethical & Sustainable Is the Water Footprint of Peaches

Peaches have a low water footprint of 36 inches of rain per year. Because of where they grow, they also don’t need irrigation, which keeps their water footprint to a minimum. 

Water usage is one of the most important factors in a fruit’s sustainability. Practices like irrigation use significant resources and can cause pollution, and as such, factors like the amount of water used, where it is sourced, as well as the way they affect the water sources around them, are all important. Here, we will look at these different angles of peaches’ water footprint.

How ethical & sustainable is the water footprint of growing peaches?

• What is the overall water usage of peaches: Peaches need about 36 inches of rain per year. This is a very low water requirement. For example, pears need around 50 inches per year, and watermelons up to 100. 
• What is the green water footprint of peaches: The green water footprint is the amount of water from precipitation stored in the soil and used by plants for growth. Most regions of China get more than enough rainfall to cover peaches’ water requirements. This means that only a portion of the region’s water is needed by peaches, and so their green water footprint is low. 
• What is the blue water footprint of peaches: The blue water footprint is the amount of water sourced from surface (such as rivers or lakes) or groundwater resources. Since China gets enough rainfall to water peaches, they don’t require a significant amount of irrigation, and as such, their blue water footprint is low. 
• What is the gray water footprint of peaches: The gray water footprint is the amount of freshwater required to clean up water pollution to meet certain quality standards. Essentially, it’s the amount of water needed to make polluted water clean enough to be safe and healthy for humans and the environment. Peaches use a significant amount of pesticides. This means that a high amount of water is needed in order to clean up the residues and so their gray water footprint is high. 
• How does the peaches industry affect freshwater and ocean pollution: Pesticides are a major water polluter. The fact that peaches use a significant amount of pesticides means that their runoff is likely to end up in water sources and cause damage to marine life. 

In short, peaches’ lack of irrigation requirements means they are fairly sustainable at this stage, even though their pesticide usage does cause damage to ecosystems. 

How Ethical & Sustainable Is the Agrochemical Usage for Peaches

Peaches’ agrochemical usage is very high. This is because they use above-average amounts of pesticides and nitrogen fertilizer, which is particularly harmful to surrounding habitats and wildlife. 

Pesticides and fertilizers are agrochemicals that are very unsustainable and damaging to ecosystems. This is because they require resources to create and can easily run off into groundwater and soil systems. Here, we will look at how sustainable peaches’ pesticide and fertilizer rates really are.

How ethical & sustainable is the agrochemical usage of growing peaches?

• What is the pesticide usage of peaches: Unfortunately, peaches tend to be sprayed with a considerable amount of pesticides, ranking 7th on a list of fruit pesticide use. In fact, many imported peaches contain pesticides not approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Pesticides can cause many kinds of environmental damage, including poisoning surrounding wildlife, and leakages getting into soil and groundwater.
• What is the fertilizer usage of peaches: The most common fertilizers used for peaches are potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen. While potassium generally has a minimal impact on the environment, both nitrogen and phosphorus have been identified as very damaging. 
• Are there any known issues connected to the agrochemical usage for peaches: Both nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers have been associated with invasive algae growth, which can harm many kinds of aquatic life. Nitrogen fertilizer also releases nitrous oxide, which is very harmful to the air. 

In short, pesticides’ use of both high amounts of pesticides and some of the more damaging fertilizers means that they are very unsustainable at this stage. 

How Ethical & Sustainable Is the Carbon Footprint of Peaches

The carbon footprint of peaches is 0.17kg (0.38lbs) CO₂e per pound of peaches. This is mainly due to their transportation and waste management. The vast distances required to get peaches into American grocery stores drive up their carbon footprint considerably.

Carbon footprint is one aspect of the overall sustainability of a fruit. It essentially measures how much carbon or other greenhouse gasses the production of fruits emits into the atmosphere. Emissions from product manufacturing, irrigation, transportation fuel, and landfills all add up to create the overall carbon footprint of a fruit. Let’s see how the carbon footprint of peaches contributes to their overall sustainability.

How ethical & sustainable is the carbon footprint of peaches?

• What is the overall carbon footprint of peaches: The overall carbon footprint of peaches is 0.17kg (0.38lbs) CO₂e per pound of peaches. This means that for every pound of peaches produced, 0.17kg of carbon is released into the atmosphere. This is a low carbon footprint compared to other fruits. 
• What are the main contributors to the carbon footprint of peaches: The main factors contributing to peaches’ carbon footprint are the long transportation distances, the amount of pesticides used, and improper waste disposal.
• Which life-cycle stage of peaches has the highest carbon footprint: The stage in peaches’ life cycle that contributes the most to their carbon footprint is transportation. Out-of-season peaches have to come from South America, which drives up their carbon footprint. 

In short, despite the high pesticide usage and transport distances, peaches still maintain a considerably low carbon footprint compared to other fruits. 

How Ethical & Sustainable Is the Waste Generation of Peaches

Peaches’ waste generation is fairly low. This is mainly because they use cardboard instead of plastic packaging, which has a high recycling rate compared to other materials such as styrofoam. However, their organic composting rates are still fairly low. 

When fruit waste, either in the form of packaging or organic materials, is disposed of, it can cause a lot of problems. Whether it’s damaging wildlife, getting into oceans, emitting methane, or dissolving into microplastics that contaminate groundwater, all these materials have their part to play. The sheer amount of waste we produce is reaching a crisis point and won’t be able to continue much longer. In this section, we will look at how sustainable peaches’ waste generation is.

How ethical & sustainable is the waste generation of peaches?

• What is the packaging of peaches: Peaches are typically packaged in cardboard boxes that have corrugated trays to fit each peach. This is likely due to their skin sensitivity, which might affect shelf life if broken. Though cardboard is one of the more environmentally-friendly types of packaging, it still contributes to deforestation. 
• How is the packaging of peaches disposed of: Cardboard has a very high recycling rate at 89%. Therefore, the majority of peach packaging is not ending up in landfills and thus avoids the unsustainability of landfills. 
• How are peaches disposed of: Peaches have pits that are generally not eaten. They can theoretically be composted, but in practice, only 4% of food waste is actually composted. Furthermore, food waste is particularly harmful to the environment as it releases a greenhouse gas called methane when it is put in landfills.

In short, the fact that peaches use one of the more easily-recycled packaging methods means their waste disposal is fairly sustainable, despite their low composting statistics. 

What Have Been Historical Ethics & Sustainability Issues Connected to the Peaches Industry

The peach industry has historically caused significant harm, both to people, with labor disputes, as well as to environments like waterways and forests, leading to wildlife endangerment.

All fruits have had a complex road toward global distribution. They originate in one part of the world and often travel far to end up in your local supermarket. From farm to table, some of our favorite fruits have used unsustainable practices. Whether it’s exploiting labor, deforestation to meet demand, water pollution, or disruption of wildlife, most fruits have left a path of destruction. Many of these effects are still felt today or have even increased. Let’s see how peaches have fared throughout history.

What have been the key ethical & sustainable issues of the peaches industry?

• Has labor been exploited because of peaches production: Though labor abuse isn’t as prominent in the peach industry as some others, there have still been some significant instances of labor disputes. One example is a case where Mexican peach pickers in the US filed a lawsuit against their employers for breach of contract. 
• How much land has been lost because of peaches production: Peach production takes up a total of around 400,000 hectares of land in China. China has lost a lot of natural forests to agricultural production. Due to their usage of agricultural land in China, peaches have contributed to land loss there. 
• Which wildlife species have been negatively impacted or displaced because of peaches production: A significant number of natural spaces in China have been destroyed to make way for agriculture, many of which are vital habitats for animals. Habitat loss is the leading cause of endangered species and so many species in the area have become threatened. Some endangered species in China include South China tigers, Asian elephants, and the Sumatra rhinoceros. 
• Have water sources and soil been contaminated because of peaches production: Peaches’ high pesticide usage means that they have contributed a significant amount to water pollution over the years. Pesticides are the leading cause of water pollution and so the damage they have caused has had a significant impact on water sources. 

In short, the historical impact of peaches has been fairly negative, with unethical practices like wage delays and unsustainable practices like forest destruction being present. 

How Can You Reduce Your Environmental Impact and Offset Your Personal Carbon Footprint

There are a few things you can do to make your peach consumption more ethical and sustainable, while still enjoying them. You can also consider offsetting your personal and peach-related carbon emissions, which work to remove carbon emissions elsewhere that are then attributed to you. Here, we will walk you through how to accomplish both of these things.

How Can You Shop for Peaches More Ethically & Sustainably

In this section, we give you a short list of ways you can consume peaches in a more sustainable way. This list is designed to target the most unsustainable parts of peaches’ life-cycle:

1. Buy organic peaches: Pesticide usage is one of the most unsustainable aspects of the peach growing process. Organic farms, however, generally avoid high amounts of chemical pesticides and nitrogen fertilizers and so they are good to support if you want to reduce the amount of pesticides involved in your food. Organic peach farms will also likely have fewer chemical dangers for workers, meaning they may also be more ethical. 
2. Buy in-season peaches, locally: The difference between in-season peaches and out-of-season peaches is significant, with one being available domestically and the other needing to come from South America. As a result, it is important to try and buy peaches only in the summer, so you can cut down on transportation distances. 
3. Compost and recycle: Cardboard may have a high recycling rate, but you have to make sure you hold that up. Recycle any cardboard packaging you get with peaches. Similarly, you should ensure that you compost any organic waste that is generated from peaches. If you don’t have a municipal composting program, consider making one yourself!

Following some of these methods can really help you to make your peach-eating more sustainable. None of these will completely eradicate the negative impacts, since there are always effects that may be outside of your control. But some reduction is always better than nothing!

Which Organizations Can You Support to Help Promote Ethics & Sustainability

While peach production engages in some very unsustainable practices, there are also some organizations that help you change the parts of these processes that would otherwise be outside of your control. These organizations are working hard to prevent and reverse damage to the environment caused by industries like peach agriculture, towards a more sustainable future.

In the table below are some of the best charities that work in the areas where peach production are very unsustainable—and beyond:

Though it is helpful to boost the sustainability of your personal peach consumption, supporting these organizations takes your positive impact a step further. You will be reaching far beyond your own consumption impacts and helping to build a better world for everyone!

How Can You Offset Your Personal Carbon Footprint

The carbon footprint is a key part of how sustainable we live. And it is one of the ways we measure the effects of our human-induced global climate change. Yes, even from eating peaches!

“Carbon footprint: the amount of greenhouse gasses and specifically carbon dioxide emitted by something (such as a person’s activities or a product’s manufacture and transport) during a given period”

Merriam Webster

Basically, it is the amount of carbon emitted by you as an individual or an organization providing you with goods and services – including peaches:

• This includes GHG emissions from producing the products that we use and foods that we eat (e.g., power plants, factories or farms, and landfills)
• GHG emissions from fuel that we burn directly or indirectly (e.g., logistics and transportation, cooling or heating facilities),
• as well as the GHG emissions attributed to how we consume these products and foods.

Carbon offsets are reductions in carbon emissions that are used to compensate for carbon emissions occurring elsewhere – for example for the carbon emissions that are associated with peaches. They are measured in tons of CO₂ equivalents and are bought and sold through international brokers, online retailers, and trading platforms on what is known as the global carbon offset market. 

“Carbon Offset: a way for a company or person to reduce the level of carbon dioxide for which they are responsible by paying money to a company that works to reduce the total amount produced in the world, for example by planting trees”

Oxford Dictionary

In terms of peaches – and indeed all food types – there will always be a carbon footprint, because of the resources it takes to get your food from farms to the place where you’ll eventually eat them. And while there are ways to reduce your carbon footprint when shopping for peaches, carbon offsets would be a way to reduce your CO₂e emissions all the way down to net zero (or even to become climate positive).

However, when you purchase carbon offsets, it’s important that they actually make a difference in offsetting (aka reducing) total carbon emissions. To achieve that, the following are key criteria:

• Carbon offset projects have to be effective (different projects have different effectiveness rates)
• Carbon offset projects have to be additional
• Carbon offset projects have to be permanent
• The claims from carbon offset projects have to be verifiable

To find the best carbon offsets for you personally, check out our full guide on the best carbon offsets for individuals, where you’ll also learn more about how these carbon offset projects work, what their respective offsetting costs are, and what your best way would be to offset your own carbon emissions.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to ethics and sustainability, you could do a lot worse than peaches. They only use relatively few unsustainable farming practices, such as monoculture farming and pesticides. They seem to have minimal ethical problems too, with a strong amount of US peach workers earning decent wages, despite some labor disputes. However, you can still do more to mitigate some of the less ethical or sustainable practices within peach farming, such as buying organic peaches or supporting organizations that work to improve labor and environmental conditions in the peach industry. 

Stay impactful,

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